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Fintech Startup for the Next Billion – True Balance, Expands Leadership Team

The new appointments will strengthen key functions, augment the company’s growth and make True Balance’s mission of ‘finance for all’ a reality

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 25 April 2022 – Reserve Bank of India (RBI) authorised Prepaid Payment Instruments provider and fintech start-up True Balance recently announced multiple senior appointments as the company continues to serve the unbanked and underbanked across India. Amongst others, financial services veteran Souparno Bagchi as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and fintech expert Himanshu Jaggi as Principal Product Manager (PPM) are the two new key leaders who will reinforce the company’s expansion across India. The expanded leadership team will oversee the development and advancement of financial products and services that aim to ‘Enable Finance for Every Indian’.

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Aimed at underbanked and underserved users in small cities in India as a one-stop financial solution, True Balance facilitates instant personal loans and other payment services to India’s Next Billion users.

Commenting on the appointments, True Balance’s (Balancehero Group, South Korea) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder, Charlie Lee said, “As per the latest joint report by TransUnion CIBIL and Google, the small ticket personal loan segment in India grew 23x in the last four years, and the overall digital loans market is predicted to grow to $350 billion by 2023. This is a further endorsement of the opportunity and the market we at True Balance have been catering to. India has made significant progress in bridging the digital divide. Leveraging on this, True Balance has been at the forefront of filling the credit gap for the underbanked and unbanked people in India. Souparno and Himanshu will further strengthen the team and our endeavour to achieve our mission of making finance available for all.”

The newly appointed COO, Souparno Bagchi will lead the operations of True Balance to amplify customer value while ensuring the company’s robust growth in lending and payments services. Bagchi will be responsible for establishing and broadening True Balance’s capabilities as a neobank for India’s Next Billion people.

Souparno brings with him over two decades of global experience in financial services through various leadership positions at Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, and Tata Consultancy Services. He is a Post Graduate in Business Management from the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, India.

“True Balance has demonstrated its technological prowess and financial services acumen through digitally solving at scale and speed some of the high tough, deep compliance products and offerings from the financial services storefront through its lending and payments solutions. The company has even expanded the credit coverage frontiers to millions of people and has the vantage point of deeply understanding the next billion people in India and their financial needs and aspirations. Therefore, True Balance is uniquely placed to establish itself as the most trusted Neo Bank for the next billion segment. I am super stoked to be part of True Balance as we continue to innovate and develop our offerings and create greater impact for people across India.” said Souparno.

As Principal Product Manager, Himanshu Jaggi will spearhead product innovation and development by employing a data-driven approach. He envisions True Balance as a groundbreaking product with a consumer-first approach, serving millions of users through a seamless experience.

Prior to joining True Balance, Himanshu worked with Meta (Facebook) and PayPal. A Masters Degree holder from the esteemed National University of Singapore (NUS), Jaggi brings expertise in Product, Data Science and a profound understanding of consumer behaviour.

“I am happy to join True Balance in their mission to provide a financial platform for the next generation who are unserved by the traditional credit institutions during this pivotal time. It will surely be an exciting journey. And with my experience and skills I look forward to building world-class products for this target audience with a unique vision and innovative approach.” said Himanshu.

Hi-res images are available in the media kit here.

About True Balance

Owned and operated by BalanceHero Group, True Balance is an RBI authorized Prepaid Payment Instrument issuing entity and an emerging digital lending fintech platform. It offers small-ticket loans through its subsidiary and RBI licensed Non-Banking Financial Company – True Credits Private Limited and other RBI licensed partners. Founded in 2016, as a mobile app for users in India to efficiently manage their phone calls and data usage, True Balance is now India’s one of the top financial services platforms providing solutions to all the financial needs of its users – from obtaining instant loans, paying utility bills to do prepaid recharges seamlessly. Till date, True Balance has raised US$85 million in equity funding from global investors including those in South Korea and India. The company aims to become the go-to financial services platform for the next billion people in India, playing a key role in the nationwide push towards the goal of Digital India and advancing financial inclusion amongst the unbanked and underbanked people.

#TrueBalance

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Laos Not Travel-Ready according to New Report

Luang Prabang eases lockdown measures
(Photo: Evensong Film)

Laos is among eight Asian countries with the least favorable conditions for tourism according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) 2022 Travel-ready index.

Laos Records Bumper Trade Surplus in 1st Quarter

A freight train arrives in China.
A freight train arrives in China from Laos.

Laos recorded a trade surplus in the first three months of this year, despite the continued depreciation of the Lao kip amid increased production and consumable costs.

Discovery and TaiwanPlus call for talented filmmakers to create exceptional stories from Taiwan

Three filmmakers will receive a grant of US$35,000 and have their short film featured on Discovery platforms across Asia and TaiwanPlus

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 25 April 2022 – Discovery has teamed up with TaiwanPlus, Taiwan’s first English-language global news outlet and video on demand (VOD) platform, for an exciting contest to celebrate Southeast Asia’s filmmakers and the rich, beautiful world of Taiwan. The contest calls on filmmakers looking to create moving and inspiring stories about Taiwan to participate. The competition kicks off on April 25, 2022, and three filmmakers will be chosen to receive a grant of USD 35,000 each that can go into the production of their short films.

Taiwan is the world’s largest semiconductor producer, the birthplace of Austronesian languages, and first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. For this contest, Discovery Channel is inviting talented filmmakers around Asia to tell vibrant and inspiring stories about Taiwan.

The chosen filmmakers will have the opportunity to work with one of Discovery channel’s producers and have their films shown on-air across Discovery platforms in Asia and on TaiwanPlus. The winners will be announced on May 23, 2022, Taiwan time (GMT+8) on this website and Discovery Taiwan’s Facebook page.

The contest is in line with TaiwanPlus’ mission to deliver independent news on global and local events, bringing stories from Taiwan that will resonate across the world. TaiwanPlus also celebrates the culture, lifestyle, and best of Taiwan’s food, travel, music, and entertainment as a global community.

Interested filmmakers are invited to submit their story ideas in the form of a 600-1,000-word proposal along with a portfolio of videos here. The contest is open for submissions from April 25 to May 15, 2022. To view the full contest details, visit: https://www.discoverychannel.com.tw/taiwanplus/en/

Notes to editors
For full contest details, click here
Link to contest video here
For more information about TaiwanPlus, click here

About TaiwanPlus

Based in a thriving democracy at the heart of the most dynamic and fastest growing region on earth, we are the first and only English language, global news and entertainment media platform from Taiwan.

TaiwanPlus delivers independent and impartial daily news by international journalists focused on global and local events, bringing you the stories from Taiwan that will resonate across the world. With our unique position in geopolitics and international trade, TaiwanPlus also provides an inside look at Taiwan-China relations with in-depth reporting and analysis.

We showcase Taiwan’s uniqueness in culture and lifestyle – as well as the best from Taiwan’s food, travel, music, and entertainment – and what binds us together as part of a global community.

TaiwanPlus produces three daily newscasts 5 days a week, develops long and short-form features, curates movies and other entertainment programming, creates engaging social media content and much more.

Wherever you are, on whatever device, TaiwanPlus delivers world-class content from Taiwan’s perspective.

For more information, visit or follow-up on social media via @taiwnaplus.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, CNN+, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, TLC, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. For more information, please visit.

#WarnerBrosDiscovery

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Colgate’s newest electric toothbrush which is ‘Tailor Made for Your Smile’ launches first on Shopee

Colgate is meeting the oral care needs of Gen Z and Millennial consumers and offering No.1 exclusive deals with its Super Brand Day campaign on Shopee Mall, in celebration of Shopee 5.5 Half Price Sale

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach – 25 April 2022 – Colgate, the global leader in oral care, collaborates with Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, to launch their new electric toothbrush that is ‘Tailor Made for Your Smile’. The electric toothbrush was developed based on the brand’s research into category and cultural trends to create product innovations that suit the lifestyle of modern consumers. It is only available online and in five markets — Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines. To celebrate Shopee 5.5 Half Price Sale, Thai shoppers can look forward to No.1 special launch deals only on 27 April 2022 in Colgate x Shopee Super Brand Day only at Colgate’s official store on Shopee Mall.

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The new electric toothbrush lets users personalise their brushing experience with 10 levels of vibration intensities and 4 different cleaning modes — squeaky clean, sparkle, gum care and night spa. With a total of 33 combinations, users can customise their brushing experience for just what they need.

It comes packed with smart features that provide real-time “coaching” for the best brushing experience, including its smart pressure sensor to remind users to apply less pressure when brushing their teeth, a quad pacer that pulses when it is time to change the brushing area, and a built-in timer of two minutes for optimal efficiency.

Yves Briantais, Vice President Marketing, Asia Pacific, Colgate-Palmolive said: “We are extremely happy and excited to launch Colgate’s first smart electric toothbrush on Shopee to help people in Thailand noticeably improve their oral health. With a large and fast-growing base of digital consumers in this region, we decided to adopt a digital-first approach aimed at reaching and serving them with an engaging and tailored online shopping experience. We hope to encourage consumers to upgrade from their trusty manual toothbrushes to one that can bring them a personalised brushing experience.”

Pavan Challa, Director, Regional Brand Partnerships, Shopee said, “In the past year, we are seeing more consumers shopping online for essential products, with 8 times more users shopping online at least once a month on Shopee Mall. We have been working with brands such as Colgate to expand our product variety to meet this increasing demand. With Oral Care as our fastest-growing subcategory, we are glad to be the exclusive e-commerce platform to bring Colgate’s innovative smart electric toothbrush to our shoppers. We will continue partnering with brands to offer shoppers access to greater convenience, variety and value all-year-round through Shopee Mall.”

Last year, Shopee and Colgate-Palmolive signed their first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly drive e-commerce penetration for the Personal Care category on Shopee in the region. It marked a key milestone in deepening collaboration on multiple fronts to accelerate growth of Colgate-Palmolive’s digital commerce business across Southeast Asia and Taiwan by more than 20x by 2025. Oral Care is the fastest-growing subcategory on Shopee, driven by increasing consumer demand for trusted brands and innovative products.

Starting this year, Colgate-Palmolive became a strategic partner under Shopee’s Regional Champion Brands Programme, which will help to strengthen Colgate-Palmolive’s online presence and deliver more of their innovative and high-quality products to millions of households through Shopee’s extensive reach.

‘Tailored For Your Smile’ Super Brand Day

On 27 April, Colgate will roll out No.1 exclusive deals for its smartest electronic toothbrush, providing Thai shoppers with the best value and deals, to celebrate Shopee 5.5 Half Price Sale with, up to 70% off storewide discounts, up to 1,000 Shopee coins cashback, and free gifts for shoppers at 4 periods, 00.00, 12.00, 18.00 and 21.00. (limited amount). Shoppers can enjoy privileges from Shopee including FSV, CCB, and more from when paying via ShopeePay

Find out more about the Colgate Tailored For Your Smile campaign at https://shopee.co.th/sbd-colgate-apr.

Download the Shopee app for free on the App Store or Google Play Store.

About Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet. Focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition, the Company sells its products in more than 200 countries and territories under brands such as Colgate, Palmolive, elmex, hello, meridol, Sorriso, Tom’s of Maine, EltaMD, Filorga, Irish Spring, PCA Skin, Protex, Sanex, Softsoap, Speed Stick, Ajax, Axion, Fabuloso, Soupline and Suavitel, as well as Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet. The Company is recognized for its leadership and innovation in promoting environmental sustainability and community well-being, including its achievements in saving water, reducing waste, promoting recyclability and improving children’s oral health through its Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, which has reached more than 1.3 billion children since 1991. For more information about Colgate’s global business and how the Company is building a future to smile about, visit www.colgatepalmolive.com.



About Shopee Mall

Shopee Mall is the region’s leading online mall offering one-stop access to a wide range of international and local brands and retailers. Shoppers can enjoy three guarantees delivered by Shopee Mall — 100% authentic products, free returns and free shipping. With always-on deals, entertainment and a robust loyalty programme, Shopee Mall offers an unparalleled online shopping experience and best value all year round. Shopee Premium was introduced in 2020 to add greater variety to Shopee Mall. Users can shop from a curated selection of premium fashion, beauty and lifestyle products from renowned luxury bra

#ColgatePalmolive #Shopee

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Ukraine President Zelensky asks Asian Countries to Change their Attitude Toward Ukraine

Ukraine President Zelensky
Ukraine President Zelensky talks to journalists at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti metro station.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said he hoped Asian nations would “change their attitude” towards his country.

President-Elect of East Timor to Seek ASEAN Membership

East Timor's president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta
East Timor's president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta.

The president-elect of East Timor (Timor-Leste), Jose Ramos-Horta, has said that he expects that his country will join the Association of Southeast Nations in 2023, when ASEAN will be chaired by Indonesia.

Laos PM Attends Water Summit, Talks Ukraine While in Japan

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Kumamoto, Japan.
Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Kumamoto, Japan.

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit (APWS) to discuss the conflict in Ukraine and other matters.